best street trading practices guide · ii. goals of the guide iii. good practices within the scope...

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BEST STREET TRADINGPRACTICES GUIDE

الوصايا العشر للممارسات الجيدةفي التجارةالمتجولة

Goals / أهداف

Presentation / مقدمة

TABLE OF CONTENTS / فهرس

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II. Good practices /الممارسات الجيدة

II.

Thinking and acting with a business mentality1. التفكير والعمل بعقلية رجل أعمال Ensuring the point of sale attracts the clientele 2. جعل محل البيع دعوة للزبون Striving for differentiation and a unique personality3. البحث عن التفريق والتحلي بشخصية خاصة

Seducing clients with your best resources4. إغواء الزبناء بأفضل الموارد

Placing a priority on customer satisfaction5. جعل األولوية رضا الزبون

Opening doors on the internet6. فتح األبواب على اإلنترنت

Highlighting cleanliness and organisation 7. تسليط الضوء في النظافة والتنظيم

Care and prevention in relation to health and safety 8. الرعاية والوقاية, الصحة والسالمة

Developing internal alliances 9. تطوير التحالفات الداخلية

Creating effective relations with the public authorities 10. بناء عالقات فعالة مع اإلدارة العامة

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I. Presentation

Street trading is a sector of considerable economic and social importance. It is highly traditional and is part of urban life in almost all the towns and cities of Andalusia. However, it has been largely ignored by institutions in general for a considerable length of time. Hence, it is regarded as being of secondary importance by mercantile law when compared to other types of commerce, for example. However, the authorities have been becoming aware of the importance of this activity in recent decades, of the capacity of this sector to create jobs and generate income for many families and to boost local economies.

According to the statistics for the sector, the retail trade at stalls and markets generates a turnover of 2,101,000,000 euros, a figure that has been increasing in recent years, and employs 51,000 people. Andalusia accounts for 19% of the jobs and 17.4% of the turnover of this activity on a national scale. According to the most recent official data available, there are around 900 markets with almost 42,000 stalls in our Community. 90% of our municipalities have at least one, meaning almost the entire population of Andalusia is able to visit the street markets held in the vicinity.

The principal measure designed to promote street trading in Andalusia is the 2015-2017 Street Trading Activation Plan approved by the Regional Government of Andalusia Ministry of Employment, Business and Commerce. The Plan has now been extended to 2018 and 2019 with an investment of 3.5 million euros. The idea is to help modernise and adapt this important activity to the complex and changing world in which we live.

2 Best Street Trading Practices Manual

دليل الممارسات الجيدة في التجارة المتجولة 3

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II. Goals of the Guide

III. Good practices

Within the scope of the aforementioned Street Trading Activation Plan, a colla-boration agreement was entered into between the Ministry of Employment, Business and Commerce and the Andalusia Council of Chambers of Com-merce, Industry and Shipping for the financing, definition, development and execution of activities consisting of the updating, modernisation and revamping of the sector.

It is in this context that we present this Best Practices Guide geared to street trading and the workers involved.

Counting on the contribution of experts and personnel from the sector, a series of realistic and pertinent tips has been prepared, which are obviously well-known to street traders, but which, when presented in an organised manner, serve as an additional factor to boost the necessary capacity for change and improvement, in addition to conveying to society in general the real image of a dynamic economic activity, adapted to the present day and capable of being increasingly attractive to customers.

This guide is part of the Street Trading Best Practices Manual, a comprehensive publication you can access using the following QR code:

The Good Practices defined are not intended to be excessively technical, but are provided using clear, easy-to-apply content, with the aim of generating returns for traders in terms of quality.



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1. THINKING AND ACTING WITH A BUSINESS MENTALITY

Street tradersare essentially

businessmen.

Street traders are essentially businessmen. Traders should think about their entire activity from this perspective, beginning by examining their business practices and deciding if they are appropriate or need to be changed.

Preparing a business plan helps us visualise and understand the different areas and activities comprising the business, and how they are related (customers, key activities, cost structu-re, distribution channels, cash flow, etc…). There are simple models designed to adapt it to the size of small businesses, such as canvas, and others.

The business activity is inseparable from the need to plan and look ahead not only in the short term, but also in the medium and long terms, in addition to a permanent quest for development and growth. Understanding this is the key to improving.



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2. ENSURING THE POINT OF SALE ATTRACTS THE CLIENTELE

3. STRIVING FOR DIFFERENTIATION AND A UNIQUE PERSONALITYOne of the attractions of a street market for the clientele is the number of stalls, but it can be frustrating if the variety of merchandise on offer fails to correspond. Each trader should strive to ensure his/her business stands out from the rest and possesses it own unique personality. Thus, you need a trading name, a label, your own bags perhaps, and characteristic decoration. Customers should know they have shopped at a specific stall rather than just another stall at the market. This will help to ensure customers remain loyal.

It is extremely important to offer merchadise that is not available throughout the market. This means you need to differentiate when looking for suppliers. Selling merchandise that is original and different from the rest should be a business goal.

The point of sale is the basis of everything. It needs to be attractive, the products should be laid out in a well-organised (grouped in accordance with type, colour or variety) and strategic (giving pride of place to items likely to be more interesting to the customer) manner. Everything should be both aesthetically logical and practically logical for the purchaser. Window dressing is a “science” which traders should be familiar with. It is based on techniques which are not always acquired through experience, but through training with them.

It is not usually a good idea to place too many products in display areas, as this gives rise to a sensation of a jumble. The opposite is required: clarity, order, ease to enable customers to perceive what might be of interest to them in a natural manner. Of course, the structure of the point of sale, the shelving, awnings and furniture should all be in the best possible condition in order to attract customers by means of the fine image provided.



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4. SEDUCING CLIENTS WITH YOUR BEST RESOURCES

One of the advantages of street trading should be the treatment given to the clientele: close, attentive, respectful, and capable of offering their items with a comprehensive knowledge of both their stock and the location of the products and the tastes and needs of the buyer. Personalised treatment will help ensure customer loyalty. Sales personnel are expected to be willing, have a positive attitude, a nice appearance, a good vocabulary and an appropriate tone, placing customer service above any other activity that may arise.

Traders announcing their goods is a traditional practice in this sector and should be conducted using suitable language, conveying an effective message and always avoiding words and expressions that may be unsuitable. Being capable of working in another language is a major benefit for traders, particularly in certain regions.

Sales personnel areexpectedto be willing,

have a positive attitude,a nice appearance,a good vocabulary

and an appropriate tone.



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5. PLACING A PRIORITY ONCUSTOMER SATISFACTION

The legal requirements in force, such as the existence of a complaints book, providing receipts, displaying both normal and promotional prices and others depending on the trader him/herself, such as the possibility of returning goods, should be used as an asset of the business itself, all illustrated on visible signs, which will provide you with an image of responsibility and guarantee.

Customer satisfaction is key before, during and after the sale. This can include the provision of services such as payment by credit card, the possi-bility of gift wrapping the article or being contacted by the seller if the product is not in stock but is expected to be in the future. In the event of any discrepancy with the customer, a friendly solution should always be striven for. This will help ensure the loyalty of the customer and promote the image of the business conveyed to other shoppers.

Customer satisfactionis key before, duringand after the sale.



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7. HIGHLIGHTING CLEANLINESS AND ORGANISATIONThe activity of street trading generates large volumes of rubbish: packaging, plastic, bags, cardboard and organic waste in the case of the sale of food. Both in relation to conveying a good image to your clientele and maintaining a healthy relationship with the authorities and the local neighbourhood, it is important to use clean-up practices including recycling and correct waste management. You should strive to work with products with the least possible amount of packaging and to collect waste at the time it is generated. The place in which your merchandise is stored should be kept clean and tidy. Special care should be taken in areas that are windy or subject to other circumstances causing waste to be scattered around.

Moreover, the noise limits defined by the authorities should be complied with, and both the point of sale and the common areas should be kept spic and span at all times.

6. OPENING DOORS ON THE INTERNETNowadays, our neighbourhood is the whole world. The Internet, social networks, web pages and mobile phones bring us within a click of any site and offer. Commerce is undergoing a genuine digital revolution and street trading needs to keep up. Traders should make every effort to be a part of this world, training in the absence of practice. The social networks can be of great use in the disclosure of a promotional campaign for your business, advertising your presence at weekly markets and publishing com-mercial offers, as well as for dealing with administrative entities, which, however, would need electronic offices.

One option to be considered is the creation of an online store version of your activity, which would enable you to obtain a far bigger clientele and multiply your potential.



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8. CARE AND PREVENTION IN RELATION TO HEALTH AND SAFETY

It is of paramount importance that traders implement and maintain risk prevention in relation to their activity. There are two major factors of risk in relation to health and safety, those being loading and unloading and, of course, travelling by road. Traders should be familiar with safety standards and put them into practice in the workplace, in relation to the correct posture for carrying weight, the use of gloves for installing metal structures, the use of the appropriate tools, and care when using portable ladders.

During the sale period, special care should be taken with regard to standing up for long periods of time, whereby the use of high stools is recommended. Fire extinguishers should be available and traders should know how to use them. Care should also be taken to secure structures properly, above all in windy conditions. With respect to road travel, loads should be evenly distributed and vehicles should be in good condition and driven with precaution as a rule.

It is of paramount importancethat traders implement andmaintain risk prevention inrelation to their activity.



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9. DEVELOPING INTERNAL ALLIANCES

Traders who are part of the same street market should regard their collective nature as one their main advantages. Busi-ness relations should be developed to the maximum to ensure a market is not a series of individual points of sale, but where business activities are conducted collectively to the benefit of everyone.

For example, joint promotional activities, advertising, draws and the launch of special offers. In addition to initiatives geared to presenting their own market in the appropriate manner, such as signage and general information on their stalls. Regarding markets in accordance with the philosophy of the so-called “open-air shop-ping centres” could be a move that bene-fits everyone. Strengthening the business fabric of street trading and developing the channels of cooperation between the traders themselves is a measure that is necessary in order to improve the condi-tions of each market and the sector as a whole.

Traders should regard theircollective nature as onetheir main advantages.



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10. CREATING EFFECTIVE RELATIONS WITH THE PUBLIC AUTHORITIESThe relations between the sector and the public authorities (principally town councils) could and should go beyond compliance with the provisions and regulations established for the activity of street trading. Good dialogue is essential. It is important that town councils´ Municipal Street Trading Com-mittees are operational, as the appropriate forum in which to agree upon measures to improve the activity with the members from the sector.

In turn, traders should be fully familiar with their responsibilities and rights, in possession of a licence and having paid the respective fees. Furthermore, traders should be familiar with the correct administrative channels for dealing with the authorities. In turn, the authorities should exercise strict control over illegal traders and sales, thereby placing value on the business-men in the sector that comply with the regulations in full.


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QR code for downloading the guideVersion in Spanish / French

رمز االستجابة السريعة QR لتحميل الوصايا العشر النسخة اإلسبانية / الفرنسية

رمز االستجابة السريعة Qr لتحميل الوصايا العشر النسخة اإلنجليزية / العربية

QR code for downloading the guideVersion in English / Arabic

Financed by the Regional Government of AndalusiaMinistry of Employment, Business and Commerce.

بتمويل من وزارة التوظيف واألعمالوالتجارة في المجلس األندلسي

best street trading practices guide · ii. goals of the guide iii. good practices within the scope...

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